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The main cause of homelessness in England is private sector tenancies ending, the NAO found.

Rents have gone up at the same time as household incomes from benefits have been cut, it said.

And local housing allowance reforms are "likely to have contributed" to making tenancies for claimants less affordable and "are an element of the increase in homelessness", according to the report.

All forms of homelessness have increased "significantly" and are costing more than £1 billion a year to deal with.

But the Department for Communities and Local Government has continued with a "light touch" approach despite the clearly growing problem and its recent performance cannot be considered value for money, the NAO said.

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A snapshot overnight count last autumn recorded 4,134 rough sleepers, a 134% hike since the Conservatives took power.

Auditor General Sir Amyas Morse said: "Homelessness in all its forms has significantly increased in recent years, driven by several factors. Despite this, government has not evaluated the impact of its reforms on this issue, and there remain gaps in its approach.

"It is difficult to understand why the department persisted with its light touch approach in the face of such a visibly growing problem. Its recent performance in reducing homelessness therefore cannot be considered value for money."

The Department for Work and Pensions has been unable to assess the impact that changes to local housing allowance have had on homelessness, the report said.

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"This Act means more people get the help they need earlier to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place.

"Our welfare reforms restore fairness to the system with a strong safety net in place to support the most vulnerable, including £24 billion through the Housing Benefit.

"There's more to do to make sure people always have a roof over their head and ministers will set out further plans shortly, including delivering on our commitment to eliminate rough sleeping entirely."